Artist, Larry "Poncho" Brown
An Ode to Black Women and a Fair, Firm Message to ALL Others
by Sharon D. Toomer, BBN Managing Editor
As a Black woman in America, I have never known a time in my life when I have felt more unsafe, vulnerable and unprotected. This acute sense of insecurity is sometimes a challenge to articulate. It is, however, a real and shared experience among the many Black women in my life and we continue struggling to give it voice. Behind closed doors, Black women increasingly describe feeling disdained, disregarded, rejected and dismissed. This societal hostility is a widespread sentiment that is not limited by socio-economic background, education, geography or age and was crystallized in the recent case of Shirley Sherrod.
The source of these feelings and experiences come from the larger society, but sadly, too frequently they come from within our own community. Whether in the projection of a caricature of our image in media, the unequal treatment and harsh punishments of the workplace or in the dismissal of our most urgent needs by law enforcement authorities and media, it seems that the attacks on Black women are endless and coming from all angles. Even our own men have taken to attacking us in public forums about everything from being “too demanding,” “too angry” and the laughable charge of “having too high standards,” to the most recent attack of not being fit for marriage.
I do not know what Black women ever did to merit this pattern of assault, but I do know this: this hostility is not good for the overall health and progress of Black communities as a whole and by extension for the whole of America. And here is why:
Read the Full Essay @ BlackandBrownNews
An Ode to Black Women and a Fair, Firm Message to ALL Others
by Sharon D. Toomer, BBN Managing Editor
As a Black woman in America, I have never known a time in my life when I have felt more unsafe, vulnerable and unprotected. This acute sense of insecurity is sometimes a challenge to articulate. It is, however, a real and shared experience among the many Black women in my life and we continue struggling to give it voice. Behind closed doors, Black women increasingly describe feeling disdained, disregarded, rejected and dismissed. This societal hostility is a widespread sentiment that is not limited by socio-economic background, education, geography or age and was crystallized in the recent case of Shirley Sherrod.
The source of these feelings and experiences come from the larger society, but sadly, too frequently they come from within our own community. Whether in the projection of a caricature of our image in media, the unequal treatment and harsh punishments of the workplace or in the dismissal of our most urgent needs by law enforcement authorities and media, it seems that the attacks on Black women are endless and coming from all angles. Even our own men have taken to attacking us in public forums about everything from being “too demanding,” “too angry” and the laughable charge of “having too high standards,” to the most recent attack of not being fit for marriage.
I do not know what Black women ever did to merit this pattern of assault, but I do know this: this hostility is not good for the overall health and progress of Black communities as a whole and by extension for the whole of America. And here is why:
Read the Full Essay @ BlackandBrownNews
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